Archaeologists in northeastern Bulgaria continue excavations at the prehistoric complex of Provadia-Solnitsata, considered the oldest known salt mining center in Europe. Head of excavations, academician Vasil Nikolov, reported new findings, whose age exceeds 7000 years. The complex is striking in its architectural complexity, social practices and ritual traditions.

A massive mound and the luxury of ancient buildings

The researchers are focusing on a large mound 13 meters high and about 80 meters wide, formed by the union of several smaller mounds. Archaeologists have discovered two buildings of a Thracian aristocrat with stone foundations and walls made of dried bricks. The interiors are decorated with light plaster, rare for that time. Fragments of Hellenistic pottery, ritual pits and traces of complex construction techniques indicate a high level of development of the settlement.

Daily life and crafts

Under the layers of the Roman and Thracian periods, remains of a prehistoric settlement from 5600–4350 BC are preserved. e. Solnitsata included multi-storey buildings, industrial zones and massive fortifications.

“What’s really amazing,” says Nikolov, “is the depth of the foundation trenches. You can see the holes for the wooden posts on which the buildings stood.”

The community of about 400 people focused on mining and trading salt. Among the finds are ceramic vessels, flint tools, and stone axes. Some items were produced locally, but many were ordered from nearby workshops, indicating an early form of contract labor.

“This prehistoric society refutes the idea that wage labor began with capitalism,” Nikolov notes.

Rituals and mystical artifacts

Offerings to household spirits attracted particular attention from scientists. Under the floors of the houses they found a deer skull with an antler, ceramic vessels, flint axes, the remains of a dog and more than twenty stone tools. Some sacrifices were accompanied by fire, which was unusual for the period and region.

One of the sensations was a small clay figurine with round holes instead of eyes, which archaeologists called a “prehistoric emoji.” An earlier discovery of a triangular ceramic head symbolizing a local salt deity has sparked sensational interpretations of “extraterrestrial” origins, but scientists stress it is a reflection of artistic and ritual traditions.

Excavations have revealed the use of red ocher to paint pottery and walls, as well as sophisticated methods for constructing multi-story buildings. The discovered two-story ovens weighing more than a ton, as well as unusual round vessels with spouts reminiscent of bird beaks, were used to pour brine in the production of salt. These finds demonstrate the high engineering and technological level of prehistoric inhabitants.

Solnitsata in a cultural context

Solnitsata is a unique monument of European prehistoric urbanization and economic organization. Researchers see here the first manifestations of control over resources, as well as the social distribution of labor and wealth. The complex will form part of the future European Salt Heritage Route, linking ancient salt production centers in Poland, Romania, Serbia, Germany, France and Italy.